Passion's Exaltation
by Molag Bal - Lord of Domination
Summary: Four years following the Archon's demise, the kett of the Heleus Cluster have found poor success in their attempts to reinstall proper leadership. Heeding their call, a young Archon Ascendant from a separate lineage strives for the position. However, his goals encounter obstruction when a skirmish by his forces ends with a stalemate and the capture of a sickly angara scientist.


When he strode from the vessel that carried him from his capital ship in orbit, the kett known by his underlings and peers as the Archon Ascendant found himself buffeted by warm, mild-paced winds and heavy rain that fell thickly against his dark flesh and pallid exoskeleton. His feet sank deeply into copious earthen muck, but he trudged through it without difficulty or complaint.

Suffering under this constant blanket of dreary, storming rain, this location, but a small moon orbiting a gas giant, was one with a tropical, oxygen-rich atmosphere and a thriving, primitive ecosystem in dire need of the exalting touch of the kett. Fungoid bioforms of varying sizes littered the jagged, dampened terrain, all possessing a similar grey color but never the same shape. They shared the scenery alongside scant traces of low-growing, viny verdure.

And it held a secret. Upon this minuscule moon of trivial value, sitting on the outside border of the Heleus Cluster, wreathed and camouflaged under all this rampant fungus and sparse vegetation, was an unnatural object that did not belong here—a building. A building of designated angara design. Cleverly was it hidden within this abundant foliage, but not clever enough to evade the keen sight of the kett.

The brunt of the Archon Ascendant's forces laid immediate siege upon this base the moment it was uncovered, succeeding in cutting off any means of its inhabitants' escape. The Archon himself was notified of it only a few paltry hours prior. Also was he notified of its apparent purpose; that it was not a military or intelligence construct, but a apparently a construct meant for scientific pursuit. That its inhabitants were not all soldiers, yet many traps and powerful weapons of suspicious and powerful quality held their ground forces back and with cruel success. When word of this difficulty came to him, the Archon chose to take personal charge of the operation before a chance of encountering some mishap or another could befall them.

The Ascendant approached the main encampment, where he soon saw the Cardinal. Far past Ascendancy herself and a venerable figure in her own right, the Cardinal was the one who had assumed first command of this siege. She was clad in an abundance of natural kett armor, clothing of silken and flowing crimson fabrics, and bore a data slate in her left hand. Without hesitation she approached him, her visage clearly serious but proud in spite of the rain's obscuring quality.

"Archon Ascendant. My salutations," she greeted. "It pleases me to see that you have arrived."

"What is the state of this operation?" was his first question, wishing only to get to the bottom of this skirmish.

"Our losses are few, and we have maintained control of our quarry's means of escape. They are surrounded."

"And of our quarry itself? What is its state of being?"

That was when the Cardinal's expression changed to something stiffened. "These angara are few, but are holding firmly," she revealed solemnly. "They are armed with foreign technologies unfamiliar to us. It is clear that they have developed improvements in capability in the years since the Archon formerly in charge of assimilating the cluster was killed."

"And good riddance to him and his selfish aims," the Ascendant sniffed back. "What is your calculation on the success in overtaking these boundaries?"

"I regret to say that it will be many hours, perhaps a day upon this moon before we can gain a meaningful grip on this paltry host." Her soured tone betrayed her frustration, but it was blameless. "We have been prying all over with every unit at our disposal, but no weakness has been identified in our foes' defense."

"This bodes poorly," the Archon Ascendant remarked. His pale eyes squinted in the direction of the ovular dome serving as the source of his ire in the near distance, but he kept his head cool. "Indubitably, they will receive reinforcements before we can fully breach them. But we will not leave empty-handed; I will see to that."

"Indeed we shan't, Ascendant," agreed the Cardinal. Her thumb moved over her slate, tapping its surface twice before locating the specific data she sought. "I have been informed that we have the capacity to overwhelm these creatures by means of unrelenting bombardment, from land or orbit, but I belayed the order until your presence had been established. It would easily break these walls down, but it would inflict only death upon these potential Chosen. Do you wish to permit it regardless?"

"And leave here with a string of worthless, mangled corpses in tow? No, no." The Archon's head, lacking its crest to signify maturity, shook once. "We already know much about the angara, be they living specimens or dead. To depart in such a manner would constitute as less than empty-handed. Needless destruction does not pay for progress."

Permitting the Cardinal to continue her work, Archon went to investigating his forces, making certain all was well with their numbers. He sauntered around the fortifications, examining the troops and the defenses of this meddlesome base himself as the rains continued pelting down upon his skin. The occasional fork of lightning lit up the sky above, illuminating this dark, gloom-set land with its short flashes. Scant minutes had traipsed by when the Cardinal again approached her Archon, excitement kindled in her eyes.

"Archon," she bid. "A discovery."

"What is it?" he asked, hope in his dense voice. "An advantage?"

"No. It seems..." The Cardinal's hand pricked over her slate, her brow crinkling. "It seems one angara is approaching, unarmed and by its lone self. The Destined who intercepted it state that it demands to converse with the one leading this endeavor. It demands the chance to make... a bargain."

The Archon Ascendant uttered a long, deep hum. "An interesting turn of events." Taking a look at the slate himself, he stroked his chin with a claw. "Pull our soldiers back and let this character approach unmolested. I will hear what it has to say myself."

The Cardinal peered her Archon's way in an unsure manner. "Are you certain about this, Archon?" she queried with rightful caution. "I sense such an approach to be a most brazen choice. A trap of insidious quality could be armed upon this angara."

"Naive as they may be in their adamant rejection of the gift we offer, angara are far from stupid creatures," the Archon disagreed. "Angara prefer to protect one another and hold the lives of their fellows above their own. As this one surely knows an act of violence against a leader of the kett will result in the immediate retaliatory destruction of its kin, I find that doubtful. Still, I will permit you and two Anointed to follow in my stead, but nothing more."

Said the Cardinal, "As you request," and so did she depart to relay the demand. When it was complete she returned with two Anointed in tow, and together the four kett approached the area between the fortification and the angara base, as the Cardinal directed.

There they waited, heavy rain falling upon and around them. The Archon stood alongside his warriors as a statue, patiently waiting for this . Soon he saw their shapes traversing his way through the rain, cutting through it at a mild pace. When they were close enough he gained a good look at this specimen.

This angara was a clear civilian. It was dressed in typical angara fashion, all its clothing colored a dark, rich blues with a delicate purple trim. It possessed female traits, and like all of its breed, it bore the distinguishable "hood" about the sides of its head and neck. Past its clothing and basic features, though, this one appeared... sickly. Evidently it was thin, atrophied in muscle density without showing any sort of malnourishment. It bore eyes revealing pink and red textures and flesh as white as snow, indicating it was suffering from a severe strain of albinism.

As he thought of what curious affliction this entity bore, he was face to face with it. The Chosen who led the angara departed as they arrived, leaving just the Archon, Cardinal, and two Anointed to watch it. The Archon stepped forward and looked down at the angara, knowing the most basic of questions was the first to be asked.

"Who are you?"

The angara, looking back up at him, answered swiftly. "My name is Paarva Leshja," it sneered, its voice's pitch light and correctly feminine. "And I mean to discuss only a method by which both our parties might cease hostilities without further conflict."

"So you might, if your demands are within reason," calmly replied the Archon. "You are at a disadvantage as it is. Your forces fight with a commendable stubbornness, but I do not think they are all warriors of skill. Tell me, what profession do you follow?"

This "Paarva Leshja" shifted him hard, pink-eyed glare, her thin pupils dilating. She was clearly resisting the urge to strike him. He knew their kind bore powerful animosity for the kett, and were controlled so easily by their strong, albeit facetious emotions. "I am a scientist," she said, a brittle calmness in her tone. "A molecular biologist of professional standing."

"And what led you to come into our hands?" was the Archon's next query. "Have you truly come to produce a deal, or have you other motives?"

"I have only a single demand from you." The angara's stance became a little more rigid as she attempted to muster up an intimidating posture. "And it is a simple one: pull your forces back and permit my team to depart with their lives intact. No one else needs to die."

The Archon Ascendant held his hands together behind his back, the lids over his eyes falling halfway. "True, the suffering would concluded, but what would I stand to gain from this?"

"A prisoner." Her hands came up and gestured to herself, the ambiance of the rain becoming somehow louder while she did so. "Me. That is our offer."

At this, the Archon scoffed. "That is all? Surely there is a catch in this plea."

"There is no catch. I am one of the leaders of this fortification." The angara tried to step forward to the kett leader, but was halted by the Anointed from doing so. She inhaled and exhaled softly instead. "We have already contacted outside aid that will repel your forces with ease should you stay here. You have a limited time before their imminent arrival, but for the sake of my team's continued safety, I have decided upon this. I am all yours do do with as you wish, if only you will grant me this request. I will not fight you. My colleagues will not pursue you. I will not attempt to escape. And I will not... I will not attempt to poison or kill myself. I will be yours."

The Archon Ascendant still wore his skeptical mien. He analyzed her body, and quickly did he find hidden signs of distress shining brightly. "If I were to lead my forces away from this place, you would truly come with us of your own free will?" He shook his head. "I see terror shining in your quivering eyes. I see your frail form twitching with discontent. You are a sickly creature; a creature that might not be a worthy specimen to us. You know this, you do not want to do this, yet you do it anyway."

The angara said and did nothing for a brief few moments. Lightning flashed above, and the resounding clash of thunder followed it. Eventually, as the thunder's bellow died down, she slowly nodded. "I am afraid of what might happen to me. I have heard of what torments and horrific fates you inflict on those you capture. And still, I would do this. I _will_ do it. If you will only agree to my terms."

 _Intriguing_. The Archon pulled his head back. He said nothing more to the angara, instead choosing to turn his back to her and walk off a small ways, leaving the Anointed to keep their eyes on the alien as he mulled over her words. He managed a meager ten feet, but it was far enough away to conclude what it was he wished.

The Cardinal was there waiting for him when his stride stopped and his hands returned from his back to his side. "What decision have you made, Archon?" she inquired dutifully.

"Pull our forces back and regroup. Let these creatures depart, as we should as well," he ordered to her, sighing despondently. "This bargain is of imperfect quality, but I will take it."

Pausing for only a moment to register the contents of this demand, the Cardinal nodded and left her Archon to contact the soldiers and issue the order. The Ascendant next turned to the angara and swiftly strode her way once more until they were within a foot's distance of one another, and told her, "We will pull back and permit your allies' escape, as per your request."

The angara's pink eyes closed and she inhaled a deep breath. The Archon could see the relief washing over her. He gave her only a few seconds to relish it.

"And in return," he then reminded her in a much colder choice of tone, "You will join us in our departure. And you will do so without protest, as you stated you would. Should you violate that, we will not hesitate to unleash all of our orbital weapons upon your kin until ash and dust and fleeting memories are all that remain of them."

Her eyes snapping open, the angara's ephemeral euphoria left the instant he spoke, and those suppressed traces of terror the angara exhibited showed themselves again in their muted forms. Clearly, these words stung her dreadfully, but they did not cripple her. "I intend to live up to my end of this deal, _kett_. But if you think you can pry any useful information from me," she hissed defiantly, "then you are _mistaken._ "

Blinking slowly, the Archon's lips pulled back slightly, forming a small, almost amused grin of ivory teeth. "We shall see about that, creature," he replied calmly. He motioned a hand and the Anointed before him began leading this angara, this albino, this "Paarva Leshja" away. He raised his head and watched them as they followed the Cardinal, thinking deeply over this turn of events, when next his gaze traveled to the opposing base.

It was a poor loss that he chose this path while it was still so close to falling into his grasp, without question. However, pragmatism demanded he abandon this assault. Irrefutable, potent consequences could always be suffered if one made too reckless a decision. He had little idea of what those other, extragalactic aliens who had come the angara's aid were capable of as of now. And at least he was not leaving without something, as he indeed wanted...

The Ascendant ran a bony claw once more over his chin, and his view again went back to his forces. A single angara was a paltry prize, most especially for one of his committed standing. Be that as it may, he had urge to study this specimen before potentially allowing Exaltation to purify her crude form into something more gloriously capable, assuming its frail stature was deemed fit for the sacred process.

There was something about her. Something hidden. Something that may yield a reward greater than what was given here. Allowing these thoughts for the future to crawl to the back of his mind for later recollection, the Ascendant Archon started toward his forces to join them in abandoning this hidden base. Once they left this moon and returned to kett space, he could better focus his efforts on his acquisition.

An imperfect bargain this was, for sure. Imperfect, but so very intriguing...

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So... I've never played _Mass Effect._

It's sad, but it's true. Never had time for it, and neither do I have much of a hankering for sci-fi settings over fantasy ones. But that doesn't mean I can't write about them, or find ways of delving face-first into the lore to do so in the proper, respectful manner (thanks, YouTube). The reason I have for writing this tale before you may appear to be simple, but it's, in reality, quite complex.

Being the Daedric Prince of things best not mentioned in front of the kids, I don't have many friends. Be that as it may, I do have one associate who uncovered my works from my other page on Fanfiction (good luck finding it, _hyuk._ Lots of unfinished tales there, yessir) and took a sincere liking in it. Considering how some folk are, it didn't take them long to make a request for a story from me. As it would happen, they had a much beloved interest in _Mass Effect: Andromeda_ , and entertained an idea of a kett/angara romance of the ages, considering there does not seem to be so many fics of that variety on the market, if at all (they share my passion for fantastic/cross-species romance). Basically, they asked me to make a fic about it for them, with main focus settling on the kett themselves, to help flesh out the intricacies of their fascinating culture that may or may not get further exploration in the future, assuming _Andromeda_ (or _Mass Effect_ as a whole) gets a sequel, given its unjustly and overly-sour reception over a few funny facial animations that led to A SIGNIFICANT LACK OF QUARIAN-RELATED DLC THAT WOULD HAVE LET ME AGAIN SEE SOME, OH, I DON'T KNOW, **QUARIANS** , PERHAPS? I WANT MY QUARIANS. WHERE ARE THEY? THEY COULDN'T HAVE GONE ANYWHERE, GUYS. THEY WERE RIGHT THERE, AND NOW THEY'RE GONE. WHERE ARE THEY, GUYS? Just for that person, I did a lot of research into the ketty-cats. Turns out, they're quite the interesting guys; unique religion, neat dress codes, cool assimilation-is-reproduction plots that crank the meter up to 'kinky,' fun at parties, that whole thing. Let's see if I can do them justice.

So... here is what I have, just for that fellow, and hopefully for you fine folks; a story about a blueblooded kett and an ill angara finding a potential passion for one another in spite of their opposing backgrounds and standings on the kett ladder. A story that is mostly about the kett, for kett lovers, and those who found the _Andromeda_ story ripe with promise as much or more so than bugs. I may not be as familiar with the _Mass Effect_ mythos as most other ones, and I may not have a good grip on the names of the assorted tech in it, but I'm sticking my toes into these alien waters regardless. If any of you are more learned in the ways of _Mass Effect_ and you wish to voice opinions on my tale that don't add up to you, then by all means, comment on such mistakes so I may correct them.

Here's to you, kid. And to you, readers, for listening this old Daedra and taking the time off to see my tale-behind-the-tale, or sorts. _Or was it?_ Who knows; for all you know, the person I just spent most of this piece mentioning might not even exist. Mayhaps it was my idea all along, and you were strung along to reading this lengthy passage for nothing _(NOTHING!)_. Either way, it's now in the past and trapped forever in the bleakest corner of your puny, mortal minds to taunt you for the rest of eternity with its cruel riddle. And there is nothing you can do to figure it out! _Nee-heheheheeeee..._

Enjoy the story! Talk about what I did wrong so I might do better! Talk about what I did right so I can keep doing it! GIMME A CHANCE! SPOUT PROFANITY! GO NUTS, _C'MON!_


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